“It’s racism swept under the rug”, High school students received significant disciplinary actions after they posted “Whites only” and “Blacks only” signs over water fountains and shared pictures of the signs on social media
High school students received disciplinary action after they posted “Whites only” and “Blacks only” signs over water fountains and shared pictures of the signs on social media. School officials said that the notes posted over the water fountains were posted for a matter of 30 seconds and were never seen by other students or staff members. The three high school students involved in the incident posted the signs, took photos and removed the notes before posting the photos online. The school district announced that the students involved have been disciplined for their actions.
The school district released a statement and said that officials were made aware of the racist incident at C0lerain High School in Ohio on May 5, NBC News reports. The school administrators reportedly discovered that the “Blacks only” and “Whites only” signs over the water fountains were posted and the high school students took photos. The students then took the signs down, and posted the photos online.
The school district released a statement on May 16 and said that the high school students, who participated in this tasteless and hurtful act, have been issued significant disciplinary action. Officials said that any student, including those who are found to have taken part in sharing the post online will also be subject to disciplinary action.
During an interview with FOX19, two mothers of students in the district said that racial issues like this need to be met head-on.
“It’s a hate crime. It’s racism swept under the rug. I am doing this anonymously because I do not want my daughter to be targeted by faculty, other peers, that are against us speaking out.” one of the mothers said.
“I’m a product of C0lerain High School, C0lerain Northwest Local, and when I was in school there… oh my God… there was the N-word on the wall and in the bathroom and all kinds of stuff. And back then, nothing happened. We just had to take it and move on.” the second parent told FOX19, who also wished to remain anonymous.
The school district released the following statement:
“We want to make sure our staff, students, families and community understands where we stand on racial intolerance, discrimination, racism and hatred. We take this matter very seriously. This type of behavior is not and will not be condoned or tolerated.
The actions that were displayed do NOT reflect the values and the culture we’ve worked so hard to cultivate in all of our schools across the district. NWLSD stands firm in creating a culture of inclusivity, respect, kindness and compassion for everyone.
As a school community it’s our responsibility to uphold these values and we will not tolerate any action from anyone that compromises or disrupts that culture. “